RACs @ FE2R

easyed · March 05, 2009, 03:27:05 PM

Thought I'd start this discussion early, if that's ok (or at least provide some pre-long race reading)....

First, I am biased - during this week I have come to love the RAC [dodging tomatoes]. My only previous experience with it was a brief effort one year ago at the major hotlap rank combo (KY national) where I couldn't even break the 103% barrier.

Had some fun short races earlier in the week - but noticed everybody (myself included) was having a hard time going 6 laps without some (usually solo) mishap......

So with 2 cups of java in me this morning I set out on a mission. How many hotlaps could I do without getting a DQ?? I also wanted to check tire wear and gas mileage etc.

So I put gas at 58% and set out ....... 37 laps and 50 minutes later the tank was dry and not a single DQ though I did have a 180 spin from hitting a curb badly going into the downhill chicane at the at the end of sector 2.

Yes sir - the RAC can be tamed. But I learned the importance of driving like it was real ..... priority was keep it clean (safe). The cost - my fastest lap was more than a second slower than my best lap in the all-out hotlap mindset.

Even at the more "sedate" pace, for the first 20 laps I was still very tense. There are so many places to "lose it" - the mandatory curbs on the first chicane, the slippery 2nd gear left/right combo, the high speed uphill left with the huge wall waiting for ya, the tricky downhill ess with curbs to avoid at all costs, and the final white-knuckle highspeed chicane. Wow!!

But after the first 20 laps, I grew comfortable with the pace, even finding that my mind would do the "drifting" - I'd be thinking about something I needed to do later etc only to realize I'd driven most of a lap and couldn't even reacall what had happened!! Here and now boys!

I'm really looking forward to todays enduro - hope y'all are too :boxing:

btw, an aside ..... I notice when racin' with you guys that you're all such good mates that when I would have a mishap, several of ya would hit the :-( emoticon. I know it's just me, but at first I was puzzled thinking I had done something wrong. Well in some of the short RAC races this week, I would hit the :-) emoticon when I saw someone lose it in front of me -not because I was "happy" but really to try to show sympathy and keep it light, knowing what a beast to control we were dealing with. I'm sure that those who got my :-) understood, but I thought I would mention it nonetheless

Doorman · March 05, 2009, 03:36:04 PM

What a good quality post.

(not a sympathetic smiley)

obsolum · March 05, 2009, 07:18:52 PM

The key to driving this car - for me, at least - is definitely "take it easy". I find I do my best laps when I'm kind of "cruising" along rather than pushing it really hard. Tonight's race will be very interesting, I think. I'm deliberatly not going to qualify so I can start at the back and take it really easy without having to worry about other cars around and behind me. Then my strategy is to just keep taking it easy while everyone else has mishaps every few laps, damaging their car so badly that they either have to pit for repairs or give up, while I move up through the pack. Should be a stroll in the park

Doorman · March 05, 2009, 07:36:48 PM

Quote from: obsolum;266979..... Should be a stroll in the park

Scaaaawen ! :roflmao:

EDIT: Not a good quality post

obsolum · March 05, 2009, 09:46:18 PM

Well... what to say. I decided not to qualify to start from the back of the grid, which was 13th or 14th, I believe. After a few laps I had moved up to 11th, and I think about 20 minutes in I had moved up to 10th, which would earn me 1 point, so I was happy. The guy in 9th had a big lead on me so I didn't cherish any hope of catching him. Just kept on doing my laps, comfortably in 10th.

At about 45 minutes in, though, the chitchat on Ventrilo became pretty distracting, and I hit the Wall of Death as a result, causing significant suspension damage. I decided to get it repaired rather than to continue to limp around. I had a pretty good lead on the guys behind me so maybe there was a chance that I could get it repaired and still come out in front of them, or at least not too far behind.
The repairs took longer than expected, though, and when I exited the pits I was in 12th and right in front of a long stream of lappers, so I had to continually watch my mirrors, check the minimap, and move out of the way if necessary. Not fun :angry: Made some more mistakes because of the frustration, fell back to 13th, and when I spun again in the last lap I decided to call it a night.

Great first half, horrible second half. I don't think I'm gonna be on Vent for the future 1hr races. As much as I love the banter, sometimes it gets to be too much and too distracting, and in a race like this one that requires 100% of your concentration... well, it cost me the 1 point I would have earned :sideways:

OldBloke · March 05, 2009, 09:50:33 PM

Quote from: obsolum;267010As much as I love the banter, sometimes it gets to be too much and too distracting, and in a race like this one that requires 100% of your concentration... well, it cost me the 1 point I would have earned :sideways:

Says the man happy to start from the back :g:

Jamin · March 05, 2009, 09:55:17 PM

5th, a stroll in the park :happy:

Seany · March 05, 2009, 10:13:48 PM

Lucky 5th, that was mine I tell you :ranting2:

. Was an enjoyable race for me, plenty of passing/being passed. Andy and Deetz got off to a fine start and gradually pulled away from me, I had Ben in mirrors up 'till I pitted. After pits I was in 6th waiting for Ben to pit, he did and I got my 5th spot back. Then, near the end, Venca had a woopsie at the chicane O' doom and collected a few of us and Mr Jamin sails past,

finished 6th.

Car was pretty good for the race, the only real issue was that my setup seemed to have some probs with T1 after about 15 laps or so, it was very nervous.

Good race all and well done to Pilot and the podium takers :cheers:

spoong · March 08, 2009, 09:04:32 AM

I was happy to finish this one, even though I was 2 laps behind or so - really got to like driving the RAC after the initial horror of oversteer / understeer. Thought I was going to finish ahead of Oldie after his roof / pit incident, but you're just too fast!

Great race though.

Didn't help that I was physically knackered after working on my IRL car all day, eeh, who'd be a mechanic? (Not me, I think).

Agree with Obsolum's comments about the only way to get consistent laps being to not push too hard - I was happy to have not spun it. Did mow some grass here and there, and probably left some garish harlequin paint on a few walls, but that's racing...